Most helpful customer reviews
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3.0 out of 5 stars
lack of excitement, Jul 15 2004
While I liked the book overall, I thought there was a real lack of excitement in the battle scenes simply because the Slammers armored battalions simply walk right over their enemies with almost no casualties to themselves. Virtually every battle is the same: the tanks and armored cars go in, blow everything away in their path with little to no losses of their own, then the enemy surrenders. It would have been much more exciting if the Slammers faced an actual challenge from enemies that fired back, instead of the target practice/ turkey shoot battles that pervade the novel.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Mercenaries wreck another world, Jan 12 2004
This is an average shoot-em-up type adventure novel. The novel is divided into three parts, involving three actions on Plattner's World (although the last part has a fourth action). It should be noted that the novel was published before the invasion of Iraq - readers might find some parts interesting considering events related to that invasion. I had some problems with the writing style. Some sentences seem awkward (I had to go back and reread to understand what I was reading) and the author sometimes writes with an echo, repeating information previously given to the reader, i.e., how many times do we need to know about a man's injuries which caused him to be reassigned to a logistics unit? Under UNESCO standards, 49 pages qualifies as a book. The novel has 358 pages (hardbound edition), and some of the writing could qualify as excess baggage.This novel is a case of history repeating itself. When politics and diplomacy fail, greed causes various factions to hire mercenaries and mortgage their futures for little or no gain. It makes one think of the War of 1812, where both sides lost heavily, and neither side ended up with much to show for it. In this case, a dispute over tariff fees, and neither side willing to compromise, leads to a costly war. There are the usual anti-war factions, trade being routed through third parties, outside interests becoming involved, foreign agents, and double dealing. It should be noted that Colonel Hammer never trusts anyone, especially people he is working for, but he always honors his contracts. He may do serious damage to the countryside in the process. You most certainly do not want to get on his wrong side as he might have you shot.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful view of a mercenary company, Jan 8 2004
The planet was rich--at least before they brought in the mercenaries--and the disagreement over a puny few percentage points in loading fees at the local spaceport. But that was enough to let the locals invite in mercenary soldiers including Hammer's Slammers. And once the Slammers are in a conflict, they follow through. How they follow through may not be pretty--and may not be what the governments who invited them in intended, but they follow the money and their contracts, not some abstract ideal of good. After all, it wasn't them who started the war--they simply intend to end it. PAYING THE PIPER follows the path of Lieutenant Arne Huber from initial landing on Plattner's World to the war's wrapup. Getting there requires Huber to fight across the planet, facing a variety of local militias (hardly worth fighting), and experienced mercenary companies. Sometimes, though, it seems like the enemy is within the nations that hired him. And sometimes, it even seems that the white mice of Hammer's police and intelligence group is the real enemy. But it's up to Huber to find a balance that leaves him loyal to contract, his men, and his unit (although not necessarily in that order). Author David Drake doesn't delve especially deep into Huber's character, but he does give Huber enough detail to make him sympathetic and interesting to the reader. And Drake's analysis of the military is largely small unit and tactical rather than strategic. But Drake keeps the action rolling, sending Huber from one deadly firefight to the next with virtually no respite. Although Huber and Hammer's Slammers are the heros and 'goodguys' of the story, Drake doesn't attempt to romanticize war or the military. Most of Huber's men and women are killers, pure and simple. In many cases, they kill when they really don't have to and when the killing serves no useful military purpose. Worse, Hammer command doesn't especially care whether it is supporting properly elected officials or helping those elected through voter fraud. They're there to get the job done. For me, this darker approach to the military future is interesting and timely. By the time the battle is over, everyone is a loser. And Drake doesn't even attempt to persuade the reader that all of this killing has been for a noble purpose. If you're looking for an exciting military action SF adventure, with just a touch of cynical realism, it's hard to go wrong with PAYING THE PIPER.
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